1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for accessing records from a computer database. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for accessing records from a computer database by first displaying a plurality of lists of search terms available in the database.
2. Description of the Related Art
A computer database is a collection of information stored in a computer-readable medium. The information is usually associated with a common theme or subject. Information is stored in the database as a collection of records, each record having multiple fields (also referred to as indexes or list identifiers) containing the data or information. For instance, a database may be a phone directory, with each record consisting of the fields Name, Address, Home Phone, Work Phone, and so forth.
A database may be searched by specifying the desired information sought as a "search term". A searcher may further specify whether the search term is to be limited to a given field, or all fields. Additionally, the user may combine search terms with boolean logic or similar code terms to form a search string. The search system will search through all records in the database for information matching the specified search term or string selected.
World Wide Web Pages or Sites are specific addressable locations on the Internet that provide information to a remote user or operator. A Web Site may be associated with a particular database that can be searched by the user. In this manner, the Web Site acts as an interface for the user to access information stored in the computer database.
Searching information on the World Wide Web is confusing since search systems vary from Web Site to Web Site. Often, a Web Site will provide detailed instructions on how to use their search system. However, these instructions can be lengthy and confusing, often going unread and turning away otherwise potential database users.
Untrained and relatively inexperienced new information users have even more difficulty than experienced users in focusing their on-line searches. New users have trouble knowing what terms are used to designate a field or listing on a particular database. Moreover, new users will not know how to distinguish among a large number of very similar names and listings.
The amount of information available over electronic media is increasing astronomically. The World Wide Web, grew 10% a month for more than a year during 1994 and 1995. In June, 1993 there were 130 Web sites; in June, 1995 there were 23,500. The use of private networks is increasing even faster. Commercially available databases, such as WESTLAW.RTM. and LEXIS.RTM., are also growing in popularity and volume of stored information.
The increased amount of information makes it more time consuming and more difficult to accurately focus database searches and find data that is needed. Increasingly, even experienced database users have problems selecting the best information from the large quantity of complex, overlapping, misspelled and interrelated information that is available.
The number of people accessing on-line information sources is also increasing at a very rapid rate. Analysts estimate that, at the end of 1955, more than 3 million people accessed the Internet's World Wide Web directly and 6.3 million more accessed the World Wide Web using commercial on-line services such as "COMPUSERVE".RTM. or "AMERICA ON-LINE".RTM..
Because of the increased amount of data available in databases, and the increased number of people accessing databases, transmission resources often cannot keep up with the expanding demands. Consequently, transmission resources are often strained to capacity. It is well known that the lack of available band width to carry all the data being transmitted periodically slows transmissions over services like the Internet. Increasing volume is likely to slow transmission even more in the future unless the selection of information is more precise and more closely tied to the exact expectation and the needs of users.
Search systems in use today are sometimes inefficient and difficult to use. Most search systems permit the user to input a single term, or a string of terms connected by boolean logic. The user may include code language in order to limit the search to a predefined field. These systems are difficult to use since they require a knowledge of the field codes specific to that system. Moreover, the user may waste resource time by selecting search terms that are not contained in the database.
Other database search systems provide a single hierarchical arrangement of choices. For example, in selecting a particular kind of merchandise from a database of products that are for sale, a user may be presented a decision hierarchy organized first by brand names and then by price. If the merchandize is midsized automobiles, for instance, the user may initially select amongst a list of manufacture and model names. After making a decision about a manufacture and model, the decision-tree would then allow the user to select a price. After selecting a price, the system might finally allow the user to see more detail about the vehicles selected.
In general, these types of single-hierarchal searching arrangements work well. However, decision-making processes having a single hierarchical arrangement of choices do not adequately serve the needs of all users. For instance, in the example above, if the manufacturers' names and models are not known to the user, or if the price spread is very large, the user may have preferred to start with price. In terms of search technology, it would have been just as logical to look at midsized automobiles by price first, and later select a manufacturer and model. Nevertheless, single-hierarchal systems require the user to select from a first category, such as Manufacturer, before being able to view search terms under a second category, such as Price.
In a second example of a hierarchal decision system, a general information database on the World Wide Web might present the following main categories:
Arts PA1 Business & Economics PA1 Culture PA1 Education PA1 Entertainment PA1 Government PA1 Health PA1 Recreation PA1 Science PA1 Diseases PA1 Emergency Services PA1 Insurance PA1 Mental Health PA1 Pharmacology PA1 Treatments
A user will be expected to select one of these categories in order to proceed. However, if a user is looking for information about, say, Meditation, it might not be obvious to the user whether they should start with Health or Culture. If they select Health, they may find choices that include:
At this point the user may be inclined to go back to the original menu and look at Culture to see if the next level of selection in that index offers a better choice. After looking at the Culture category, if there is no better choice, the user may come back to Health and select Treatment, in order to proceed. If that decision does not lead to wanted information, the user may consider going back again and trying the Education category in the main menu.
The typical single-hierarchal search system does not permit the user to look at the topics under the category, Health, compare the Health topics to the topics under the categories, Culture and Education, and make decisions of how to proceed based upon what they have learned. Consequently, the search system is highly inefficient, reduces the likelihood of a successful database search, and increases the amount of time a user spends in the search system. Often, a user will proceed with a decision path, only to later realize that a wrong choice was made several decisions back. The user will be forced to back-track or re-start the search from the beginning.
One specific type of search system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,949 to Cochran, et al. entitled "Database Search and Record Retrieval System which Continuously Displays Category Names During Scrolling and Selection of Individually Displayed Search Terms" and U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,648 to Cochran, et al. entitled "Search System which Continuously Displays Search Terms During Scrolling and Selections of Individually Displayed Data Sets".
In the Cochran, et al. systems, selections are hierarchical. The order in which categories can be displayed is predetermined. The user then scrolls through a list of search terms associated with a first predetermined category to be searched and selects the desired search term. Once a search term is selected, a search of the database is conducted. The result of the search is used to update the list of search terms that are then available for the next category.
With reference to the first example above, the Cochran et al. systems require the user to first select and search a search term from the category Manufacturer. Once the search term for Manufacturer has been selected and the search performed, the user will then be required to select and search a search term from the next category Price. The list of search terms available under the category Price will differ depending upon the Manufacturer Name and Model that was originally selected.
The Cochran, et al. systems have the same disadvantages as other single-hierarchal systems. In addition, in Cochran, et al., only a single search term from a list of search terms may be viewed at a time. Consequently, the user cannot simultaneously view all of the various search terms for a given category.